


Think Before You Speak

by Ohnonnynonny



Series: Being Productive By Way Of Not Being Productive [8]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Merthur - Freeform, Modern AU, Profanity, Rated teen for swearing, Soulmate AU, Soulmates, Strangers to Lovers, Swearing, This is crack, light mention of Gilli, light mention of Gwaine, light mention of Uther, pure fluff in the end
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-15
Updated: 2016-11-15
Packaged: 2018-08-31 03:24:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,107
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8561716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ohnonnynonny/pseuds/Ohnonnynonny
Summary: Arthur Pendragon has 30 days to find his soulmate.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Of course, of course!, I had to give the soulmates AU a shot. This is one of those "the first words your soulmate says to you gets tattooed on you" type of soulmate au. Short, cracky and SUPER fluffy in the end. 
> 
> As usual, not beta'd in anyway. All mistakes are my own.
> 
> This story is authorized for AO3 only. It is not to be copied or used elsewhere without my explicit written permission.
> 
> I don't own the characters to Merlin(TV) and am not profiting from this work. Enjoy!

“Melonfucker!” shouted Arthur.

“I beg your pardon!?” shrieked the pretty girl in front of him, immediately checking her forearm in alarm.

Arthur checked his forearm as well, and nothing. “I’m terribly sorry, I just remembered something important. Sorry again, must go!”

Arthur got out of the restaurant as fast as his feet could carry him. Of course he wouldn’t run, it wouldn’t be proper.

Three weeks ago, Arthur Pendragon, vice president to Pendragon Enterprises, found out that he would not be allowed to inherit the company after his father’s passing if he did not find his soulmate by the age of 30. He tried to reason with his father, but all Uther had to say was that that was the rule for him and his father before him and his father before his. It was an unwritten Pendragon tradition that could not be dismissed.

Once the news hit, it was sheer madness. Of course everyone wanted Arthur, but thanks to Morgana and her devious ways, there was a rumor spread five years ago that Arthur already had a soulmate and people, most people, left him alone and admired him from afar.

“Fucking Gilli! How the fuck did Gilli get ahold of this information?” Arthur ranted, pacing Morgana’s floor.

“I don’t know. He must have bribed someone heavily. Anyway, tick toc baby brother, I do _not_ want to be the president of Pendragon Enterprises. I have a life you know,” said Morgana, sipping her wine.

“I can’t stand these set ups! I just swore at a perfectly respectable looking lady and left because some stupid words didn’t appear on my forearm!” complained Arthur, threading his hands into his hair.

“Stop that, no one’s going to want you if you’re bald. Why don’t you try one of those speed-mates thing?” asked Morgana.

“What the fuck is that?” asked Arthur, pulling his hands out of his hair and settling for taking off his tie.

“It’s like speed dating, only in this case, you just need to say something to the person in front of you instead of holding entire conversations. I heard it works maybe five out of ten times. If you don’t find your soulmate, you can leave, or you can pull anyone else who’s still unattached,” said Morgana.

“Why haven’t you told me about this before? I could have saved so much time!” huffed Arthur.

“Oh, daddy dearest wouldn’t approve. He’s still hoping you’d be paired with a princess or a duke, or just someone who’s high up in the world,” said Morgana, rolling her eyes.

“It’s not at some seedy place is it?” asked Arthur, a bit wary.

“I know of some that are, and some that are not. Why? You really willing to try?” asked Morgana.

“I’m running out of time,” said Arthur, defeated.

“Alright, I’ll set it up,” said Morgana with a smirk, topping off her glass with more red.

 **One week later**.

“Morgana, I’ve been to a fucking speed-mate thing every single day for the past week. I’m still unattached and I feel a bit unhinged. Why is it a crime that I care more for my work than finding a soulmate. Shouldn’t finding him or her come naturally?? Fuck this stupid tradtion. Send me to the seedy one. Preferably one in the morning so sketchy people don’t have the cover of darkness to kidnap me. I have two days left.”

 **The next day**.

“Morgana, can you bleach my mind? I’ve witnessed and heard things I can never unsee or unhear ever again,” said Arthur, stumbling out of the seedy pub.

“Stop cackling!” complained Arthur, “I know I asked for it, but a little sympathy please. In a day and a half, you’ll be the president of father’s company. I see that got you to shut up.”

Just then, Arthur crashed into somebody and got coffee spilled all over his shirt. He stood stock still and ignored the muffled shout.

“Morgana, let me call you back. I have to deal with an idiot,” said Arthur with his teeth clenched.

Arthur calmly took out his handkerchief, wiped his shirt, and slipped his phone into his back pocket. Then he took a deep breath and turned around.

“Well, slap me, tap me, call me pappy,” said a low hushed voice from the ground.

Arthur was about to rip this, frankly beautiful, man a new one, when he felt a slight tingle on his forearm.

“I can’t believe I just said that out loud, I’m going to kill Gwaine. Look, I’m sorry, but this wasn’t completely my fault,” said the man standing up, covered in more coffee than Arthur was.

Arthur started to grin.

“Hey, mate, are you okay? You look a bit mad,” said the beautiful man with a look of concern.

“Arthur Pendragon is God’s gift to mankind,” said Arthur with a manic smile.

“Excuse m—” the man stopped dead and stared at his forearm in wonder.

Arthur had to admit that he probably looked even crazier, but he couldn’t help it as he saw the words appear on the man’s forearm. “Beautiful words on a beautiful man.”

“You’re such a clotpole!” said the man with a brilliant laugh and a slight blush.

“What’s that?” asked Arthur, smiling more like a normal person now.

“In two words?” asked the man.

“Yes, sure, why not,” said Arthur.

“Arthur Pendragon,” said the man with a cheeky smile.

“Clotpole must mean God’s gift to mankind then,” said Arthur with a smirk before pulling the man in for a searing kiss.

“Not that I didn’t appreciate that. I really did and in fact would appreciate more, but we just met and you don’t even know me,” said the man with an amused smile on his face.

“You’ve just saved me in more ways than one. I couldn’t help it. Why don’t we both call in sick to work and get to know each other instead...,” said Arthur, waiting for a name.

“Merlin. My name is Merlin Emrys. And why the fuck not? Gwaine owes me anyway,” said Merlin with a smile.

“If I knew your name was Merlin, I would have said something to do with King Arthur. Pity,” said Arthur, grinning like an idiot.

“Maybe I should thank Gwaine for drunkenly repeating that idiotic saying all last night. You deserve a stupid phrase on your body for being such a prat,” said Merlin, grinning in turn.

Arthur didn’t know how he got so lucky with Merlin, granted he didn’t know anything about him yet, but if all Merlin did was smile and laugh for the rest of his life, Arthur found himself thinking he’d be quite satisfied.

  
  
  
  
End.

**Author's Note:**

> D'awwww. Arthur's such a secret-not-so-secret-sap!
> 
> I only had one line from this ficlet but as I started to write it down, this whole little thing was born. Hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> Take a look at the rest of the series for more laughs :)


End file.
